The quaint village of Thorpe is located between Egham, Virginia Water, and Chertsey, adjoining the rumbling M25 to its west. The area is buffered by vast fields, lakes, and woods on all sides, giving it a distinctly rural feel despite its proximity to the motorway. Its eastern edge almost touches the banks of the River Thames. Much of the sparsely populated village falls under the Thorpe Conservation Area due to its number of buildings pre-dating 1850, including St. Mary’s Church, parts of which date from the 12th century, and many 16th century buildings. Towards the north of the area is the small locality of Thorpe Lea, which is slightly busier, its streets lined with Edwardian and interwar semi-detached family homes. It is the closest part of the neighbourhood to the town of Egham, so it also benefits from relatively easy access to the amenities it possesses. The world-famous Thorpe Park occupies much of the southern section of the area, and draws nearly 2 million tourists to the neighbourhood every year.

There is evidence of Bronze and Iron Age settlements in the area, as well as plenty of local Roman activity, and there was a place of worship on the site of nearby Chertsey Abbey from at least the 7th century. Much of the area belonged to the Roman Catholic Church, and was part of the aptly named Godly Hundred up until the dissolution of the monasteries between 1536 and 1541. From 1610, the family of Lord Chichester owned the manor.

Over the years, 28 listed buildings have been constructed and still survive to this day. These include the Grade II-listed St Mary’s Church, which mainly dates from the 17th century though parts date from the 12th century, Thorpe House, which was built in the 18th century and is also Grade II-listed, and The Cottage, which was built in the 16th century.

Located to the south of the area is one of the country’s best-known theme parks, Thorpe Park. It was built in 1970 on the site of the demolished Thorpe Park Estate, and officially opened to the public in 1979. The park is home to the world’s first 10- inversion roller coaster, Colossus, built in 2002, as well as the tallest log flume in the country, Loggers’ Leap, which opened in 1989.

Despite the area’s proximity to the M25, travel has often been cited as a problem for locals. This is mainly due to the fact that nearby Egham station is separated from the neighbourhood by the motorway, which itself causes a degree of noise and air pollution in the surrounding localities.

In October 2018, proposals were submitted for a new development on Thorpe Lea Road. In 2019, they an agreement to build 220 new homes. This will bring a number of new faces to the sparsely populated area and will hopefully inspire further development locally. That said, locals have been campaigning against the development because it aims to remove vegetation along the street and the busy M25 for construction, and the area around the M25 is already considered a space of high air pollution. Additionally, many believe that the location is highly undesirable to live in, considering its direct interface with the motorway, with many advocating that housing should be developed in such a way that it can impact an individual’s or the community’s health and wellbeing.